The present invention relates to a medal playing machine referred to as a so-called pusher playing machine in which medals deposited on its playing field and from which a player gains the medals pushed out by a medal pusher. Particularly, the present invention relates to the medal playing machine which also has a medal-passing gate at a front side of the medal pusher and, moreover, an obstructing means which obstructs the medals from passing through the medal-passing gate.
Playing machines in which medals are used are classified to ones in which medals are used as a currency in playing the games and ones in which medals per se are objects of the games. An example of the former is a slot machine. On the other hand, an example of the latter is a so-called pusher playing machine.
The pusher playing machine is a playing machine in which a medal pusher can move reciprocatedly on a playing field. A player supplies medals onto the playing field and the supplied medals are gradually deposited on the playing field. Then, while the medal pusher moves reciprocatedly, the deposited medals are pushed out and they fall from the playing field. Namely, it is a purpose for the player who plays with the pusher playing machine to gain as many fallen medals as possible.
Some pusher playing machines have a medal-passing gate at a front side of its medal pusher.
Namely, the medal-passing gate is a space (e.g. a slit-shaped space) provided to the medal pusher, through which the medal rolls to pass. When the medal passes through the space, a prescribed lot drawing is performed. Then, according to a result of the lot drawing, a prescribed profitable condition is afforded to the player.
For example, some pusher playing machines have a medal supplier located above the playing field. Such a playing machine can afford the above-mentioned profitable condition to the player by supplying medals with the medal supplier onto the playing field according to a result of the lot drawing. Then, the player can gain more medals due to an increase of the number of medals pushed out by the medal pusher.
As an above-mentioned medal-passing gate, we can exemplify a comb-shaped obstructing plate provided at the front side of the medal pusher. Thus, the medals can roll to pass through the slits between the teeth of the comb.
Further, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication H10-179922, we can also exemplify the one in which the above-mentioned comb-shaped obstructing plate can move in a transverse direction. Namely, the transverse movement of the obstructing plate in addition to the longitudinal movement of the medal pusher makes it more difficult for the medals to pass through the medal-passing gate.
Since the above-mentioned movement of the obstructing plate in the prior art is substantially composed of only a transverse movement and a longitudinal movement, the obstructing plate shows a regular movement pattern. Thus, a skilled player can easily see through the movement pattern and he loses his interest in playing the game.
Further, there has been a problem that, once the medal playing machine is installed, it is impossible or difficult to adjust the difficulty of the movement pattern.
In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention has a purpose to provide a medal playing machine which has a complicated movement pattern of the vane plates, instead of the obstructing plate, and in which the difficulty of the game can easily be adjusted, by providing the vane plates which pivot transversely in front of the medal-passing gate and thus obstruct the medals from passing through the medal-passing gate.
Further, in addition to the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention has another purpose to detect the abnormal operation caused by the entanglement of the medal.
Accordingly, the present invention discloses a medal playing machine which comprises a playing field with a side edge at its front side, a gutter-shaped medal inlet device for supplying medals by rolling them onto the playing field, and a medal pusher 10 which moves reciprocatedly in a longitudinal direction on the playing field. The medal pusher 10 is provided with a pushing plate 20 which pushes the medals on the playing field towards the side edge and makes them fall. The pushing plate 20 is provided with a medal-passing gate 21 through which the medal rolling on the playing field may pass. The medal-passing gate 21 is provided with a plurality of vane plates 60 whose distal ends protrude frontward from the pushing plate 20. The vane plates 60 pivot transversely so as to obstruct the medals from passing through the medal-passing gate 21.
Here, xe2x80x9cfrontwardxe2x80x9d means the near side as seen from the player. Accordingly, the far side as seen from the player becomes xe2x80x9cbackwardxe2x80x9d.
The xe2x80x9cplaying fieldxe2x80x9d means a plane on which the medals are deposited. The medals deposited on the playing field are expected to be pushed out frontward on the playing field by the medal pusher 10 mentioned later. The medals, which are pushed out, exceed the side edge and fall from the playing field. The player gains the fallen medals.
The xe2x80x9cmedal inlet devicexe2x80x9d is a device which supplies the medals to roll on the playing field. The medal inlet device is formed in a gutter-shape with a width slightly wider than the thickness of the medal. The medal inlet device is preferably made to pivot horizontally as well as vertically within given angles so that the player can adjust, to a certain extent, a direction and a position to supply the medal. Some of the medals supplied onto the playing field by the medal inlet device may roll to pass through the medal-passing gate 21 mentioned later and other medals are deposited on the playing field.
The xe2x80x9cmedal pusherxe2x80x9d is a device which moves reciprocatedly in a longitudinal direction on the playing field. Here, xe2x80x9creciprocatedly in a longitudinal directionxe2x80x9d means that the medal pusher comes near to and goes away from the player repeatedly.
On the near side of this medal pusher 10, xe2x80x9ca pushing platexe2x80x9d which directly comes into contact with the medals deposited on the playing field is mounted. When the medal pusher 10 comes near to the player, this pushing plate 20 pushes out the medals frontward.
The xe2x80x9cmedal-passing gatexe2x80x9d means an opening formed in said pushing plate 20 with a height higher than a diameter of the medal. When the medal passes through this medal-passing gate 21, a profitable condition is usually afforded to the player. Thus, the player supplies the medals so that the medals may pass through the medal-passing gate 21. However, the xe2x80x9cvane platesxe2x80x9d described below are provided in order to obstruct the medals from passing through.
This medal-passing gate 21 is provided with a plurality of xe2x80x9cvane platesxe2x80x9d which obstruct the medals from passing through. Each vane plate 60 is arranged with an interval wide enough for the rolling medal to pass through. Further, an end of each vane plate 60 protrudes frontward from the pushing plate 20 so that the protruding end may pivot.
Namely, in the medal playing machine according to the present invention, the medal pusher 10 moves reciprocatedly on the playing field while the vane plates 60 pivot at the medal-passing gate 21.
Then, while watching the vane plates 60 pivot, the player supplies the medal with the medal inlet device so that the medal may pass through the medal-passing gate 21.
When the supplied medal successfully passes through between the vane plates 60, the above-mentioned profitable condition comes to occur. For example, a prescribed number of medals will be supplied from the medal supplier, which is provided above the playing field, onto the playing field as the medal passes through the medal-passing gate 21. In this case, since the pushing plate 20 pushes out more medals, more medals will fall from the side edge. As a result, the player can gain more medals.
The above-mentioned profitable condition may occur according to a result of a prescribed lot drawing after the medal passes through the medal-passing gate 21. For example, in the above-mentioned example, according to the result of the lot drawing, the medal supplier may supply the medals or may not. Further, even when the medals are supplied, the number of the supplied medals may differ according to the result of the lot drawing.
On the other hand, the medal supplied in bad timing cannot pass through between the vane plate 60 and, impinging on the vane plates 60, falls down to be deposited on the playing field.
Thus, since the player has to supply the medal watching the timing of the longitudinal movement of the pushing plate 20 as well as the pivoting of the vane plates 60, the player is requested to have a skill to a certain extent in order to get more medals.
Further, the difficulty of the game can be adjusted by suitably controlling a cycle of the longitudinal movement of the pushing plate 20 and that of the pivoting of the vane plates 60. For example, it is possible to completely synchronize both cycles or to operate the pushing plate 20 and the vane plates 60 in irrelevant cycles.
Further, various mechanisms can be employed as a mechanism for pivoting the vane plates 60 in the medal playing machine according to the present invention.
For example, as the present invention, the above-mentioned medal pusher 10 may comprise a cam 30 rotated by a motor, a link plate 40 which converts the rotational movement of said cam 30 into the pivotal movement in a transverse direction, and a reciprocating plate 50 which converts the pivotal movement of the link plate 40 into the reciprocating linear movement in a longitudinal direction. The vane plates 60 are pivotally supported by movable shafts 63 nearly at the front edge of the reciprocating plate 50. The vane plates 60 are also pivotally supported by stationary shafts 61 in the vicinity of the medal-passing gate 21. Due to the reciprocating movement of the above-mentioned reciprocating plate 50 in a transverse direction, the distal ends of the vane plates 60 can pivot around the stationary shafts 61 in front of the pushing plate 20.
Namely, the rotational movement of the cam 30 rotated by the motor mounted on the medal pusher 10 is once converted into the pivotal movement of the link plate 40, and this pivotal movement is converted into the reciprocating linear movement of the reciprocating plate 50 in a transverse direction. Further, this reciprocating linear movement is converted into the pivotal movement of the vane plates 60.
As a method for converting the rotational movement of the cam 30 into the pivotal movement of the link plate 40, for example, an eccentric shaft 33, whose axis is not aligned with the rotational axis of the motor, may be mounted on the cam 30. Thus the cam 30 may be connected to an end (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cdistal endxe2x80x9d) of the link plate 40 by means of this eccentric shaft 33. Here, by providing a fulcrum nearly in the middle of the link plate 40, another end of the link plate 40, namely, the end opposite to the distal end (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cproximal endxe2x80x9d) may pivot. However, the distance between the eccentric shaft 33 of the cam 30 and the fulcrum of the link plate 40 changes according to the rotation of the cam 30. This difference of distance can be cancelled by an elongated hole provided in the distal end 41, at which the link plate 40 is connected with the eccentric shaft 33.
A following constitution may be adopted for converting the pivotal movement of the link plate 40 to the linear movement of the reciprocating plate 50. First, a rail 14 which extends in a transverse direction is mounted on the medal pusher 10 and the reciprocating plate 50 is made to move on the rail 14. Then, the proximal end 44 of the link plate 40 is connected with this reciprocating plate 50. When an elongated hole is formed at the site of the connection at the proximal end 44, the difference of the distance between the fulcrum of the link plate 40 and the site of the connection can be cancelled. Due to this constitution, the pivotal movement of the link plate 40 can be converted into the reciprocating linear movement of the reciprocating plate 50 in a transverse direction.
A following constitution may be adopted for converting the reciprocating linear movement of the reciprocating plate 50 in a transverse direction into the pivotal movement of the vane plates 60. First, the vane plate 60 is formed as a rectangular plate with a given thickness. The plate is made to have two holes penetrated through its edges. On the other hand, vertical xe2x80x9cstationary shaftsxe2x80x9d are fixed to the medal pusher 10 in the vicinity of the medal-passing gate 21. Each stationary shaft 61 is made to pass through one of the penetrated holes. Further, at the front edge of the reciprocating plate 50, vertical xe2x80x9cmovable shaftsxe2x80x9d which move relatively to the medal pusher 10. Each movable shaft 63 is made to pass through the other penetrated hole. The penetrated hole through which the movable shaft 63 passes is made to have a play.
Namely, the vane plate 60 is pivotally supported both by the stationary shaft 61 stationarily disposed relative to the medal pusher 10 and by the movable shaft 63 which moves relatively to the medal pusher 10. Then, when the reciprocating plate 50 moves reciprocatedly in a transverse direction, the vane plate 60 pivots around the stationary shaft 61, which serves as a fulcrum, being forced by the movable shaft 63. Here, since the penetrated hole through which the movable shaft 63 passes is made to have a play, the difference of the distance between the movable shaft 63 and the stationary shaft 61 caused by the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating plate 50 can be cancelled.
Further, in the present invention, the stationary shafts 61 of the vane plates 60 may be disposed in front of the movable shafts 63.
Namely, in the case that the stationary shafts 61 of the vane plates 60 are positioned in front of the movable shafts 63, when the reciprocating plate 50 moves leftward, the front ends of the vane plates 60 pivot rightward. Further, when the reciprocating plate 50 moves rightward, the front ends of the vane plates 60 pivots leftward.
Moreover, in the present invention, the vane plates 60 provided with the stationary shafts 61 in front of the movable shafts 63 and the vane plates 60 provided with the stationary shafts 61 behind the movable shafts 63 may be alternately arranged.
Namely, when the positional relationship between the stationary shaft 61 and the movable shaft 63 of one vane plate 60 differs to that of the neighboring vane plate 60, the vane plates 60, 60 can pivot as if they open and close. For example, of two neighboring vane plates 60, 60, the left vane plate 60 is made to have its stationary shaft 61 in front of its movable shaft 63, and the right vane plate 60 is made to have the stationary shaft 61 positioned oppositely. In this case, when the reciprocating plate 50 moves leftward, the front end of the left vane plate 60 pivots rightward and the front end of the right vane plates 60 pivots leftward oppositely. Namely, these vane plates 60, 60 pivot as if they close. On the other hand, when the reciprocating plate 50 moves rightward, the front end of the left vane plate 60 pivots leftward and the front end of the right vane plate 60 pivots right ward oppositely. Namely, these vane plates 60, 60 pivot as if they open.
Further, the present invention preferably includes an indicator 34 mounted on the cam 30 and cam monitor which detects the passage of the indicator 34 by the rotation of the cam 30. The cam monitor is preferably formed to generate an emergency signal when the passage of the indicator 34 is not detected for more than a given time.
The xe2x80x9cindicatorxe2x80x9d is the means for indicating the rotational condition of the cam 30. For example, when the cam 30 has a circular appearance, a protrusion from the circumference of the cam 30 may be formed as the indicator 34.
As the xe2x80x9ccam monitor,xe2x80x9d for example, a beam sensor may be adopted. By making the indicator 34 interrupt the light beams of the above-mentioned beam sensor by every given cycle, the passage of the indicator 34 can be recognized.
The xe2x80x9cgiven timexe2x80x9d is suitably a time which is necessary for the cam 30 to perform one rotation. If the medal is entangled to the vane plates 60, the normal rotation of the cam 30 is obstructed and the passage of the indicator 34 cannot be detected for more than the given time. In this case, the cam monitor generates an emergency signal. This emergency signal is transmitted to, e.g., a control unit of the medal playing machine. Receiving such a signal, the control unit, for example, stops the game or displays an error message.